


Matters of the Heart

by brinshannara



Series: Sanvers Prompt Fics [7]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brinshannara/pseuds/brinshannara
Summary: Captain Beverly Picard attempts to give her first officer, Alex Danvers, some advice about love and friendship.





	Matters of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Becky for the prompt for what was supposed to be a little tiny Twitter fic that turned into 2000 words:
> 
> https://twitter.com/dayecarter/status/1176268713588342784
> 
> Set post-Nemesis, but pre-future timeline from All Good Things...

Commander Alex Danvers frowned as, for the third time, she caught someone staring at her in the mess hall. Something was up. She generally had a good relationship with the crew, but it was one rooted in respect and even a bit of fear, rather than camaraderie or friendship. As first officer, it was her job to liaise with the crew on behalf of the captain, but she always made sure she stayed on the appropriate side of the thin line between professional and personal.

So what was going on?

She narrowed her eyes at the lieutenant who was looking at her and made sure to keep her poker face when his eyes went wide, having realized he had her attention. He scurried away.

Alex finished her lunch, then brought her dishes to the replicator and let them be disintegrated by the machine. She nodded to a couple of young ensigns as she walked out and headed up to the bridge.

Lieutenant Commander Maggie Sawyer was sitting in the captain’s chair when she arrived. It wasn’t exactly a rare happening, but Alex was always a little surprised not to see Captain Picard in the chair.

“Commander,” Sawyer said, standing.

“Thank you, Sawyer,” she said, taking the seat from the woman who had quickly become her best friend. She was a little surprised when Sawyer sat down in the first officer’s seat next to her.

“The captain’s in her ready room,” she said, quietly, so as not to attract the attention of the others on the bridge.

Alex raised an eyebrow before she realized why Sawyer was being discreet. “Situation with the admiral?” she asked, just as quietly.

Sawyer nodded rapidly.

“Ah,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know.” The captain and her husband, Admiral Picard, had been having some difficulties, as the captain had informed her.

Sawyer nodded. “Of course.” She considered. “Holodeck tonight? Maybe we can pick up where we left off last night?”

“That’d be fun,” she said, smiling.

“Captain Picard to Commander Danvers.”

Alex tapped her commbadge. “Danvers here, captain.”

“Would you please report to my ready room?”

“Of course, captain,” Alex said, standing. “You have the bridge, Sawyer.”

“Aye, sir,” Sawyer said, sitting back down in the captain’s chair.

Alex rang the chime and entered at the captain’s command. The captain gestured to the sofa, not one of the seats by the desk.

“Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” she said to the replicator. “Can I get you something, Alex?”

Alex was confused. She didn’t know why she was in the captain’s ready room. Was it official business? If so, why was she now sitting on the sofa? Why had the captain called her Alex instead of Danvers?

“I’m fine, captain, thank you,” she said.

The captain nodded and took her tea with her to the couch and set it gently on the nearby coffee table. She sat down next to Alex.

“Alex, you know I think very highly of you, don’t you?”

“Uh, yes, ma'am, I guess so?”

The older woman chuckled. “I wouldn’t have requested you as my first officer on my first command if I didn’t.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

Picard took a sip of her tea. “Alex, what you do on your own time is your own business.”

She blinked. “Yes, ma'am.”

“However,” she continued, “would you not agree that, as first officer of the _USS Pasteur_, you must set the example for the rest of the crew?”

“Of course, captain,” Alex said, still confused.

“I’m glad we’re in agreement,” the captain said, taking another sip of tea. “Now, then, what’s this I hear about a turbolift incident?”

Alex frowned. “Captain?”

“Danvers, I’m getting reports from all over the ship about your recent behaviour.”

“What behaviour, ma'am?” Alex was legitimately confused, having no idea whatsoever as to what her captain was talking about.

Picard picked up a PADD and tapped at it. “Stardate 59772, Ensign Taylor reported that you and Lieutenant Commander Sawyer were trapped in Turbolift 3 for over an hour and, when Engineering got you out, you were both in a state of, well, undress.”

“Captain, the environmental controls had gone offline with the turbolift controls! It was over 32 degrees Celsius in there. Of course we removed our uniform jackets.”

Unconvinced, she scrolled down her list.

“Stardate 59807, Lieutenant Black reported that you and Lieutenant Commander Sawyer were, once again, late exiting Holodeck 2.”

Alex laughed. “We were literally two minutes late, captain, and that was because Chief Parker was running late with his time in the holodeck before us.”

“Stardate 59823, just last night,” Picard continued, “Engineering reports that the holodeck safety protocols were disabled while you and Lieutenant Commander Sawyer were running a program. Further, once you exited the holodeck, Crewman Cooper said you both appeared to be in a state of intoxication.” She let the PADD drop and looked up at Alex. “Really, Alex? You overrode the safeties so you and Sawyer could get drunk?”

“In my defense, captain, it was Sawyer’s idea, and it was just a couple of beers while we were playing pool. It wasn’t like we were in any danger.”

“So I should call in Sawyer and discipline her, is that it?”

“No, ma'am,” Alex said, realizing her error. “I was the ranking officer, I’ll take the blame.”

Picard sipped at her tea. “Don’t do it, Alex.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t fall in love with your best friend,” she sighed, putting the tea down. “It doesn’t work out.”

“I’m sorry?”

The captain turned back to face her. “I think it’s lovely that you and Maggie are so close,” she said, “really, I do. But, speaking from experience, don’t fall in love with her. Do you really want your friendship to turn into what the admiral and I have?”

Alex sputtered. “We’re not in love with each other!”

The captain tsked. “Honestly, Alex, I would have thought you knew that you could confide in me.” She took her tea and stood, heading back to her desk. “Shift change is about to happen. For my part, I’d recommend you take some time this evening to tell Maggie that it’s not a good idea.” She sat down. “Whatever you do decide, Alex, please be more discreet. The crew is starting to notice.”

Alex was still sitting on the sofa, completely and totally baffled.

“You’re dismissed, Danvers.”

She leapt up from her seat. “Yes, ma'am.” She said. “Thank you, ma'am.” And with that, she left the ready room, still dazed from the conversation. As she left the room, she saw Sawyer stand from the captain’s chair, giving it up to the beta shift commander. Lieutenant Commander Trana Soren looked over at Alex enquiringly.

“You have the bridge, Commander Trana,” she nodded to the Bajoran.

“Aye, sir,” she said, taking her seat as the rest of beta shift took over from their alpha shift counterparts.

Alex walked up to the turbolift, followed by Maggie.

“Deck 12,” Maggie said. It was the deck where both of their quarters were located. “So, pool and drinks tonight?”

Alex shook her head. “Uh, no, I, uh… I have stuff.”

“Bad meeting with the captain?” Maggie asked, concerned.

“No, uh… just… no, it was fine.” The captain’s warning rang in her ears. “Maybe tomorrow.”

The turbolift came to a halt and the two of them exited and turned left towards their respective quarters. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, her mind whirring.

“Okay. I’ll be in my quarters or in Holodeck 1 after 1900 hours, if you want to talk,” Maggie said.

Alex nodded. “Thanks.” With that, she turned down the hallway to her quarters. She needed time to think.

***

Three days went by without hanging out with Maggie and Alex missed her friend. She wasn’t entirely certain the captain was right, so Alex had decided some distance might help her figure out what was going on. Over the last couple of days, she’d come to the conclusion that she’d never felt this way about anyone before, not even her one serious boyfriend back at the Academy.

She was about to start another evening of deep introspection, seated on her sofa and staring out the windows into the deep vastness of space, when the door chimed.

“Come in,” she said, knowing it could only be one person.

“Danvers, what gives?” Maggie asked, walking into her quarters, wearing a civilian outfit, consisting of a black button-up shirt with its sleeves rolled up, and some dark blue slacks that reminded Alex of the fashion from the 20th and 21st centuries.

“What?”

“I mean,” she said, walking up to the sofa by the window, “you’ve been avoiding me.” She folded her arms across her chest. “What’s going on? You’ve been weird ever since the captain talked to you.”

Alex opened her mouth to argue.

“And don’t you even think about denying it!” she added.

She sighed and gestured for Maggie to sit down. “You’re right,” she said. “And I’m sorry.”

Maggie blinked and sat down. “Are you okay?”

“I think so?” she laughed, weakly.

“What did the captain say?” she demanded.

Alex looked over at Maggie. They’d become fast friends. Maggie had transferred aboard just six months ago, but already, Alex knew that Maggie would be in her life forever. At least, she hoped she would be.

“What did she say, Alex?” Maggie asked. “Come on, do I need to go commit mutiny or something?”

She laughed. “No, no,” she said. She composed herself and exhaled, slowly. “So you remember she and the admiral were having issues?”

Maggie nodded.

“Well, she called me in there to tell me not to follow in her footsteps, so to speak.”

“What the hell does that even mean?” Maggie asked, furrowing her brow.

“It means that she wants me to tell you that…” She blew out a breath. “That this,” she indicated the space between them, “that this isn’t a good idea.”

“That’s bullshit, the captain can’t tell you who you can be friends with when you’re off-duty!”

“No, no, I mean… She meant… She was trying to give me advice not to… fall in love with my best friend.” She looked at Maggie.

After a long silence, Maggie finally said two words: “Excuse me?”

“The captain told me not–”

“Yeah, no, I heard that.” She looked back at Alex. “And are you?” she asked. “Falling in love with your best friend?”

Alex bit her lower lip as she gazed at Maggie. “I, uh…” She exhaled. “I think maybe I might be.”

Maggie nodded. “So, what, you’ve been holed up in here… thinking…?”

She nodded.

“For three days?”

Another nod.

“And this is the conclusion you’ve drawn?”

Alex swallowed. “Yes.”

Maggie smiled. “Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one. I came to that conclusion after the turbolift incident.”

She blinked rapidly. Her brain wasn’t functioning. “Wait, what?”

She was grinning widely now, her dimples on display. “Uh, no disrespect meant here, given you’re my commanding officer and all, but you’re gorgeous, Danvers. I swear, if they hadn’t gotten us out of that turbolift, I was going to launch myself at you.”

Her brain started moving again. “Wait. So if I… and you… wait, the captain was right?”

Maggie moved closer to her on the couch. “I think she was, yeah. Smart lady, that captain.”

She was close enough that Alex could see her freckles, could smell her shampoo, could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes. And she knew that Maggie was waiting for her, waiting for her to confirm things, for herself.

“Can I…?” Alex whispered.

“Please.”

Gently, Alex reached out and cupped Maggie’s face in her hands before leaning in and softly, so carefully, so deliberately, pressed her lips to Maggie’s.

There was a pause and then Maggie started to kiss her back.

It was better than piloting a shuttlecraft through an asteroid belt.

The last coherent thought Alex had that evening was something along the lines of never listening to Captain Beverly Picard again, not when it came to matters of the heart.


End file.
